Understanding the influence of people and households on the patterns of internal temperature, gas and electricity demand.

4a845405-8035-48dc-95f5-0e9dbc062305

Closed

EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC

No funds listed.

Sept. 30, 2017

Oct. 31, 2021

The 2008 climate change act along with government targets on fuel poverty and energy efficiency have made it crucial to monitor and analyse energy demand and internal wintertime temperatures in English households. Past energy monitoring studies have identified vast differences in internal wintertime temperatures [1] and electricity consumption [2] of households, even when dwellings are near identical [3]. This study seeks to understand the groups of occupants and dwellings that consume significantly more energy, where they use it, and how their energy consumption has changed in recent years. Specific habits of groups will also be explored, for instance, whether occupants living in low-temperature dwellings are comfortable and whether these dwellings have a warmer room. As well as investigating the extent to which groups heat the dwelling when it's unoccupied. The project will have a particular emphasis on the 2.5million fuel poor households in England. These are households who would fall below the poverty line, were they to have; a warm, well-lit home, with hot water for everyday use, and the running of appliances. There are severe consequences to leaving people in fuel poverty, with the connection to a higher risk of cardio-respiratory illness. Therefore, additional investigations assessing how fuel poverty is measured, the factors that influence it, and the trade-offs different fuel poor groups make and why will be evaluated. To thoroughly investigate these matters, the latest energy monitoring dataset will be utilised, namely the 2018 Energy Follow-Up Survey. The 2018 EFUS is currently being carried out by the BRE and is expected to consist of 2,633 households undergoing a detailed interview, with current estimates of 1,000 households having temperature monitoring at 30min intervals, 500 electricity monitoring at 2sec intervals and 300 gas logging at 30min intervals; all for the period from September 2017 to April 2019. The 2011 EFUS will also be used to provide time series analysis based on the temperature and electricity datasets.

The main tasks include:
-An investigation into fuel poverty; comparing the fuel poverty definitions, establishing the socio-economic and dwelling groups most at risk to fuel poverty and seeking to understand what causes households' fuel poverty status to change.
-Development and calculation of metrics that describe the magnitude and patterns of energy demand and temperature in each home for both the 2011 and EFUS 2018; giving the absolute and normalised values; by house size and weather; etc.
-Analysis, to detect any significant relationships between the physical metrics and the socio-economic and dwelling metrics and combinations thereof; for both the 2011 and 2018 EFUS.
-To conduct analyses of suitably normalised data, to explore how the energy-related status of homes has changed over time.
-An investigation into whether occupants living in low-temperature dwellings are comfortable and if they have a warmer room or area in the dwelling.

The research will increase knowledge of the influence of people and households on the patterns of internal temperature, gas and electricity demand; with results and conclusions being scalable to the national level. The insights gained will assist energy policy formulation, fuel poverty alleviation measures, the design of new controls and heating systems, improved stock modelling accuracy, and evidence about the health of English households. In particular, to the author's knowledge, this will be the first research to investigate fuel poverty on a group by group basis using measured temperature and electricity data. Additionally, with this analysis being carried in a time series manner it's possible to establish if the gap between fuel poor and non-fuel poor groups is widening.

Potential Impact:
Energy demand reduction brings global benefits through reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and national benefits through the conservation of precious fuel resources, which improves energy security. Reductions in fuel use enhance the economic competitiveness of virtually all UK businesses. The need for new energy technologies and techniques will lead to the creation of new businesses and sustain and expand those already in the field. More affordable warmth increases the disposable income of households and can improve the internal environment in less energy efficient homes, with resulting health and well-being benefits, especially for those on low income.

The LoLo Centre for Doctoral Research will train 60 plus students, who will enhance the research capacity, knowledge and skills of businesses and organisations through the work they undertake and their research outputs. In the long term, they will go on to take up leadership roles in the many, policy, business and voluntary organisations working to reduce energy demand worldwide.

The Centre's students and graduates will have the expertise, contextual understanding and knowledge that will bring benefits to many organisations, including:
- national and local governmental organisations that are developing evidence-based energy demand reduction policies, which are affordable and socially acceptable while avoiding unintended and negative consequences.
- consultancies that advise on the energy efficient design of new buildings and the refurbishment and remodelling of existing domestic and non-domestic premises.
- energy supply and services companies that are charged with delivering a reliable supply, controlling energy bills and deploying energy efficiency products.
- building contractors that will develop new approaches to refurbishing homes and businesses at scale through the reconfiguration of supply chains and the creation of new techniques and methods of working.
- facilities managers, especially those in large organisations such as retail giants, the NHS, and education, that are charged with reducing energy demand to meet legally binding and organisational targets.
- technology companies, whether new or existing, which are developing new ventilation technologies, smart heating systems, digital controls, etc.
- manufacturers making energy demand reduction technologies, such as insulation products, heating and cooling equipment and renewable energy generators etc.
- NGOs and charities responsible for promoting, enabling and effecting energy demand reduction schemes.

The work of these organisations will, in turn, benefit all citizens who will enjoy more comfortable and healthier homes and places of work at lower cost.

The knowledge of our LoLo students benefits these organisations in both the long and short term. Students will bring a broad awareness of the interaction between the individual elements of the whole energy system, the impact of the various components on energy demand, and the likely positive and unintended energy, economic and social consequences of change. They will have the required modelling skills and an understanding of construction process, management and logistics. They will be able to devise experiments and conduct valid measurements in the laboratory and in the field, and be able to represent, analyse and interpret data from both large-scale (e.g. national) campaigns and small-scale (e.g. forensic) investigations. They will also understand the value of energy management and the role of smart, digital technologies.

Our students will also appreciate the legal frameworks, regulations, guidelines and targets that shape and drive all activity in the energy demand sector and develop excellent communication and interpersonal skills. In summary, LoLo students will be confident, committed and enthusiastic leaders able to bring numerous benefits to many different organisations and to citizens throughout the UK and beyond.